Making Memories

Whose Life Will I Improve Today?

Even though life can be tough for all of us at times, we still have a lot of reasons to be thankful. I was talking to a friend of mine who started a “Whose Life Will I Improve Today” journal for her kids. Everyday her kids write down something they are going to do to make someone's path a little easier. I loved the idea and made one for myself also.

 

I used Making Memories’ Paperie journaling notebook. I keep this notebook in my purse so I can write on it everyday. It’s easy to pull out while I’m waiting for an appointment or have two seconds during the day. It’s a constant reminder for me to focus on helping other people, which makes me feel so much better about my own struggles.

After I fill the entire notebook, I plan to use them as journaling for my scrapbook pages.

To help you get started on your own journling notebook, make a comment and let us know one thing you will do today to make someone’s life a little better. 

Recycled Project from Ivy

Say hello to Ivy. She created a recycles project that we are sharing with you today.

This is her supply list and then we will show you how she created her layout:

Making Memories Items:
Great Escape, double-sided papers, Word Fetti stickers, index tab combo stickers, and All About Alpha stickers.

Recycled Items:
Great Escape Alpha Fetti (the journal tag on the back of package)
Starbuck's coffee cup sleeve (punched circles for title 'FUN')

Other Supplies:
Cardstock
Sharpie
Flowers
Baubles

This is the process Ivy followed to create this layout.

My first step was to pick the photo that I wanted to use. From there I picked my paper and embellishments. I always look at what I have and see if I can somehow reuse part of the packaging.

Making Memories is great because you can reuse many of the new product packaging (such as Great Escape) because the inside or backside is designed to be reused! I even reuse older Making Memories packaging. The yellow and butter cream can be cut into tags for journaling. It’s great for projects, the planet, and my budget.

Thanks Ivy!

Do you have great ideas for reusing product? Email us at blog@makingmemories.com or upload them to our idea gallery.

Newsletter Winners

Wow. Our blog readers sure know where to go for inspiration. Thank you so much for all of your comments. Now we just need to travel to all those places! :)

We picked three random winners to receive Making Memories' Great Escape collection and a Slice travel design card. Help us congratulate the following people: 

If you are a winner, please make sure you email me at jweston@makingmemories.com so we can send your prize.

I hope the weather is fantastic wherever you are. Have a wonderful weekend. 

Summer Planner

It's that time of year. The kids are out of school for the summer, and most likely they have lots of activities lined up for the next few months to keep them busy. How about a great idea to help them keep track of their plans? And at the same time, give them a place to document their memories and keep special things that remind them of this summer. That is where this fun "Summer Planner" comes into play. If you received Making Memories newsletter this week, you saw this project. I wanted to provide you with the instructions so you can create it with ease. I used Making Memories Great Escape collection to create this project.

Cover
1. Cut a piece of Great Escape transparency paper and adhere to side of chipboard cover.

2. Tie trims around side of album, add Great Escape dog tag.

3. Adhere tag to bottom corner of cover, and use cork number stickers for the year.

Title Page
1. Adhere and 8" x 8" piece of Great Escape double-sided pattern paper in the 8" x 8" portfolio album. 

2. Cut a circle from the Great Escape double-sided pattern paper for center of page, and add rub-ons and Word Fetti stickers as embellishments. 

Calendar Page
1. Print out a 7" x 7" monthly calendar page on white cardstock, and adhere to pattern paper.

2. Adhere Great Escape trims across top of calendar and staple the ends to fasten. 

3. Use cork alpha stickers to add month to page.

 
Journaling Pages
1. Trim Great Escape pattern paper to 8" x 8".

2. Add a mix of Great Escape travel tabs and journaling notebook pages to pattern paper.

3. Add Great Escape trim, clips, and staples to embellish.

Creating Beautiful Images

Take an image like this.

  

Or this.

Or these.

There is a lot of work that goes into creating EYE CANDY for you.

 

 

 

I thought I would introduce you to how it all works at Making Memories.

Where in the World is Making Memories

Talking travel is more than just idle chatter for us.  So far this year, our own team has logged an inordinate amount of time in the air, visiting destinations including Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, France, South Africa, Sweden, Australia, plus many of our own country’s fine states! Plus we have lots more in the works.

And that’s only in the first six months of 2009! We’re always traveling to new and fascinating destinations in search of the inspiration that we translate into exciting and beautiful products for you.
 
So here’s our question: where have YOU been recently that you think would inspire our designers, and why?  Post your answer on our blog and we’ll choose three respondents at random who will receive a complete set of Making Memories' Great Escapes collection, INCLUDING the Slice Travel design card! 

*Audre and Hillary in Germany

*Jayme in South Africa

*Gail in Sweden.

Winners will be chosen this Friday.
Bon Voyage!

Making Memories Product Design Team

This is Making Memories product design team. These very talented people are responsible for coming up with new programs, styles, and products that fit Making Memories brand. They work very hard designing, designing, and designing some more. AND in their spare time they spend more time designing. The point is, they are very busy people. We are so lucky to have all of them.

(back row: Audre, Tara, Gail, Jayme. front row: Christopher, Cindy, Jenny, and Hillary).

Stay tuned tomorrow. They need some advice and tips that only you can help with.

Great Escape Bamboo Alpha

Making Memories Great Escape program includes these fantastic Bamboo Alphas. These alphas are wood pieces that look great any any type of project.

 
One of Making Memories designers, Leah Fung, created these layouts from one of her trips to Hawaii.

More Bamboo Alphas

I realize that I am a little biased about Making Memories great products, but I really love the Bamboo alphas from the Great Escape travel collection, so I wanted to show you more samples.

This simple layout was created by one of Making Memories page designers, Laura Vegas. She took a photo of her daughter playing at the lake. She layered the photo with Great Escape double-sided papers, added some trims and rub-ons, and finished off with a Bamboo Alpha title.

This second layout was created by Wendy Anderson, another Making Memories designer. Wendy snapped this photo of her husband and son, also at the lake. She trimmed her photo to 2 1/2" x 6" and adhered it to a sheet of the Great Escape double-sided paper. She also embellished it with rub-ons and embellishments. Wendy added a scallop edge, which she sewed onto her page. She topped it off with the Bamboo alphas.

Now on to your assignment. :) Have an enjoyable weekend, snap some photos, and check out the Bamboo letters.

Happy Friday.

Welcome SUMMER!!!

Today Making Memories had a BBQ to help kick off summer!!! It was complete with good company and good food. It's funny how the simplest things, like having a BBQ, can be so invigorating for summer. Do you have any fun summer plans?